Crown Royal's Blenders' Mash: Is This Canada's Challenge To Bourbon?

Food & Drink
I write about wines and spirits and the hidden corners of the world

Crown Royal Blender's Mash

One of the distinctive differences between Canadian and American whisky is that in Canada the tradition is to craft individual whiskies from particular grains or select combinations and then blend the resulting liquids into a final blend. In the US, although blending does happen on occasion, the usual practice is to have a mash bill of different grains from which each whisky is crafted.

In Canada, whiskies are typically assembled from a combination of base whiskies and flavoring whiskies. Traditionally, base whiskies are wheat or corn-based spirits that have been distilled using a column still. They are inexpensive to produce but do not have a lot of flavor. They are then blended with spirts whose mash bills have a large component of rye or malted barley, or in some cases both. These could be distilled using either a column or a pot still.

The individual components of the flavouring whiskies could also be aged in different combinations of barrel wood in order to create more flavors and nuance in the resulting blend. Prior to bottling, the different whisky components would be assembled into the particular house style. Wiser’s, for example, will always have its trademark spiciness, while Gibson’s will be rich and creamy. Canadian Club has a characteristic fruitiness, while Crown Royal has a distinctive bourbon like vanilla signature.

Crown Royal Deluxe, the distillery’s flagship whisky, is a blend of 50 different whiskies from 5 different mash bills. Diageo has now decided to release the individual flavoring whiskies in the blend on their own. The bottlings will be called Crown Royal Blenders’ Series and are described by the distillery as “a new art of special whiskies that celebrate the art of blending.”

The first release in the series is Crown Royal Blenders’ Mash. The whisky is described as showcasing:

“the warm vanilla and subtle oaky notes of our beloved corn-heavy whiskies-among the most flavorful of the five unique whiskies that comprise Crown Royal signature blend.”

The distillery's mash bill for this particular whisky is an American-style mash bill of 64% corn, 32% rye and 4% malted barley. It is distilled in a continuous still using a short bourbon column.

The whisky was previously released as Bourbon Mash in the US. Technically, the use of the term bourbon is restricted to whiskies whose mash bills are 51% or more corn based and are produced in the US. Surprisingly, the distillery originally got permission from the TBB to use the label, but later opted to change it.

The original label, however, says it all. Crown Royal’s Blenders Mash is in fact Canada’s answer to bourbon. It is a spirit that has a similar aroma and taste profile but with the added advantage of smoothness and absent the bite that can sometimes characterize American bourbon.

Crown Royal, Blenders Mash, NAS, 40% ABV, 750 ml

The color is a rich, bright amber. On the nose, there is a slight alcohol burn. The aroma features vanilla and warm caramel notes followed by cooked or baked apple. There is a distinctive cooked corn sweetness with some herbal notes and just a hint of anise or licorice.

On the palate, it is smooth and creamy with an oily texture and a noticeable weight. There are vanilla and caramel notes as well as dried fruit notes featuring some stone fruit, apple and a hint of tropical fruit. There are spice notes of cinnamon and a bit of baking spice.

The finish is medium length with some pepperiness and a hint of bitterness on the back of the throat and a lingering, cooked corn sweetness on the palate.

This is a good whisky, but I’m not sure what its purpose is. It’s basically a cross between Canadian whisky and bourbon. Maybe there is a consumer segment that is hankering for a spirit that has a little of both styles or maybe it will inspire mixologists. For my part, if I wanted a smooth bourbon I’d probably pick a wheated bourbon and if I wanted a classic Canadian whisky I’d opt for the original Crown Royal or Canadian Club.

Maybe the logic behind the program will become more apparent with additional releases. Until then it’s certainly worth a taste and if it suits your fancy a bottle. At a recommended retail price of $30, you won’t go wrong.

I have been writing and speaking about wines and spirits for 20 years. Along the way I became a winemaker, Oregon Pinot Noir; a judge for various international competitions, among them the Irish Whisky Awards and the International Wine and Spirits Competition; wrote a book ...